We Appreciate You!

As we at The Write Way Café do every Thanksgiving, we want to thank everyone who has blessed us with their input, their sharing, and their support over the past year. So thank you to all authors, readers, and visitors. We have truly appreciated doing our part to bring you all together.

As we review the journey we've been on since The Write Way Café debuted in 2012, we think back to our primary goal of establishing an inviting space where writers and readers could engage, share, vent, and celebrate. We had no idea when we started how many authors would touch our lives with their stories. To date, we've featured more than 180 authors, some more than once. It's been our treat to get to know the breadth of authors, and come to call some friends.

But things always change, and we, HiDee and Lynn, have decided it’s time for change at The Write Way Café. We need to evolve personally and devote more of our time to our writing. So with gratitude, excitement, and a little sadness, we are announcing that The Write Way Café Blog is closing down at the end of December.

But we're not going away completely! 

Please join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheWriteWayCafe/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/writewaycafe2, where we plan to continue promoting books for our fellow authors.

Authors: please continue to send your book information (Title, genre, buy links and one preferred social media link) to us at thewritewaycafe@gmail.com and we will post on our Facebook page and Twitter. How often we post will depend on how many submissions we receive, but we sincerely want to continue helping you by promoting your books.

Again, a huge thank you to all the authors we've featured at The Write Way Café, and to all the visitors and readers who have taken time to share and support the blog and our authors. We thank you for a wonderful and enriching 2019!

We hope you will continue to support this circle of life in our writing world!

HiDee and Lynn

I'm Still Learning!

It’s back to school time! I love this time of year, mostly for the back-to-school sales on office supplies. Who doesn’t love to pick up more post-it notes, pens, notepads and other cute items that we might use? Okay, okay, maybe I don’t really need them, but in my mind, they’re like books: you can never have too many! Right?

Even though I’ve been out of school for more years than I care to admit, I love to learn. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a professional student. I loved going to classes (well, not all of them). I loved meeting other people; learning what made them tick and what their goals were. I loved learning. Period.

I know I’m late to this party, but last year I finally got my first smart phone. I knew I would love it once I had it, I just didn’t want to pay for it. But thanks to a BOGO deal, I was in luck. My kids still hound me, though. I don’t type with my thumbs. I use my forefinger – it’s much quicker! I’m always learning new things on the phone, much to their chagrin.

So what does this have to with going back to school? It’s a learning process! After I got the smart phone, I spent my lunch hours walking. I’ve always escaped the office when the weather was good. I loved walking around the old neighborhoods near my office. But in the winter, I struggled to be active. It was often too cold to walk outside so instead, I ate lunch at my desk and surfed the internet. Having my smart-phone encouraged me to walk indoors, too. I started making laps in the hallways and needed something to help pass the time, and to discourage people from stopping me to talk.

That’s when I discovered podcasts!

Here are some of the free podcasts I discovered through the Podbean app:

http://murverse.com/subscribe-to-podcasts/isbw/ - Focusing on the emotional road blocks one finds in a writing career, this show speaks to over 8000 listeners every week.

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/podcasts/ - Award-winning author K.M. Weiland hosts this podcast that offers mentorship and advice to aspiring writers hoping to publish their own novel someday. Weiland offers practical advice on many topics related to storytelling and story structure.

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl - Mignon Fogarty is the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network and creator of Grammar Girl, which has been named one of Writer's Digest's 101 best websites for writers multiple times. She is also an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame.

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/ - Podcast episodes are posted every Monday and include interviews, inspiration and information on writing and creativity, publishing options, book marketing and creative entrepreneurship.

These are just a few of the many podcasts available for writers. So, now that my kids are grown and out of the house, who says I can’t continue my education?

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, what are some of your favorites?  I'd love to hear from  you!


HiDee Ekstrom never goes anywhere without a book or a pen and paper. Reading, writing, and chocolate are important elements of her daily life that inspire her to write. She also finds inspiration in and enjoys photography, scrapbooking, camping, hiking, and spending time with her family. Writing as Lainee Cole, two of her short-stories have been self-published in anthologies: Captured by Christmas and At Midnight. Follow Lainee at Facebook Author Page, Facebook Author Profile Page, and on Twitter.

Year End Thoughts

As 2018 comes to a close, I reflect on our year at The Write Way Café and I’m humbled by the support and encouragement Lynn and I have received from authors and readers alike.  Our collaboration began when we conceived of creating an inviting online space where writers and readers could engage, share, vent and celebrate. 

Authors have trusted us with their passions, their messages (both personal and in the stories they write), and their readers. In return, readers have faithfully followed our blog and/or their favorite authors, leaving messages of support and encouragement. I am grateful for the opportunities we’ve had to meet so many authors, to promote their work as well as our own, and to learn something from each author. I appreciate all the readers who have taken time to join us on our journey as well. 

I am so proud that Lynn and I have been able to share our love of romance and other books by giving authors a friendly place to share their work. So as we turn the calendar to a new year, I want to thank you for your support of The Write Way Café. I hope you will return in 2019 to meet new authors, greet familiar faces, and continue to share your thoughts with us!

-  HiDee

With only days left in 2018, I look back over the year at The Write Way Café and am filled with gratitude. Working with HiDee through our blog is a blessing in its own. HiDee is a wonderful author, who is dedicated to supporting other writers and giving our followers opportunities to get to know wonderful works. She’s the best!

Beyond that, I’m moved and inspired by the many authors who have shared their books on our blog. What strikes me over and over is the consistent message from these amazing writers of how they illustrate important diversity in writing. Our blog focuses on romance, but even within that genre there are limitless stories worthy of being shared. In addition, the authors’ life stories inspire me in their persistence, creativity, and self-determination. If there were only one message to take away it would be that these many, many writers follow their passion, no matter the outcome. They have ideas, experiences, challenges to present to the world and they bravely voice them in their books.

But there are other messages of strength also in the posts, interviews, and featured books. I have read of the importance of defining myself and not letting editors, publishers, reviewers, or even readers knock me off my path or rob me of my passion. And I’ve been reminded to focus on the joy of writing, not the disappointments.

-  Lynn

To all you who have been on the pages of our blog, thank you. And to readers who support our mission of support, we love you all. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes for peace and joy in the New Year!

- Lynn and HiDee

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them.  Most people don't see any.

- Orson Scott Card

My Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring...

Whoa. Wait. Stop right there! 

I would love to be nestled all snug in my bed, with visions of publication dancing in my head. Alas, it is not to be.  Not yet anyway...

There is food to be prepared.  Those who know me well know that I don't cook.  Well, I cook very little.  Hubby is the cook in this household and I will gladly wash dishes to avoid cooking.  However, since we are hosting my family at my house, I am expected to participate in cooking. I ask family members to bring a dish to share, hubby takes care of the meats, and I prepare the dishes I'm good at: potato salad, deviled eggs and no-bake cookies.  Hey, I could live on those items if I had to!

There is cleaning to be done. Vacuum the carpet. Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.  Dust the visible places. Polish my wooden dining room table to a shine!  And then comes the fun part: watching hubby and kids try not to wipe out as they walk sock-footed across the also-polished floor beside the table.  Hehehehe... Sock-skating at its best!

There are presents to wrap. Last minute gifts...or not.  Gifts I hid in a safe place.  Hm....I know I had something else for so-and-so. What did I do with it?  Ah, yes!  Now that I tore the house apart looking for those gifts, I find them somewhere I should have looked first.  Ah, well.  At least I found them.  Nobody will be short a present!  Out come all the wrapping supplies that hubby earlier declared we were done with.  Silly men...

And last but not least, there is Santa to play!  My kids may be grown but some traditions must continue. So after everybody goes to bed, hubby drags out the wrapping supplies one last time - and hopefully kept one roll of paper just for Santa!  I spread out on the floor at the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms, wrap the Santa gifts, and fill the stockings. About an hour after the rest of the family has gone to bed, I can finally crawl beneath the covers myself.

Now I can nestle all snug in my bed.  It's been a long day!  If creatures are stirring I probably won't hear them, because I'm too worn out to finish my own night before Christmas story. So here are some Night Before Christmas stories I found online, just for writers!  

http://murderiseverywhere.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-mystery-writers-night-before.html

https://whimsandtonic.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/the-writers-night-before-christmas/

http://avajae.blogspot.com/2013/12/twas-night-before-christmas-for-writers.html

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

Our Blog Journey Continues

It seems like only yesterday that we had a vision for The Write Way Café.  We wanted to create an inviting space where writers and readers could and would engage, share, vent and celebrate.  We would like to thank our guests and our readers for joining us on this journey!

We plan to continue writing our own posts, as well as interviewing authors and inviting them to share guest posts. We also hope to do more giveaways.  If you know an author who might be interested, please send them our way!

New for 2015!  

Tuesday Special  – A feature spotlight for authors will be offered every other week, and will include covers, bios, blurbs and buy links.

Building the Dream – Aspiring authors:  Are you shopping your book around?  Are you active on social media? We’d like to help get your name out there. Let us know if you’d like to be our guest.   

Café Menu – What would a café be without food? We’ve shared a few of our favorite recipes, but we’d like to invite you (authors and readers) to share yours as well!

If you’d like to know more about being our guest in one of these areas, please contact us at thewritewaycafe@gmail.com.  We look forward to hearing from you!

And, last but not least, we wish you a safe and Happy New Year!

Lynn and HiDee

Connecting with Readers and Writers

Last time, I wrote about my love/hate relationship with technology.  Today, I’d like to share some of the reasons I love technology – particularly the internet.

The Internet Society offers this definition of the internet:  What is the Internet? While it may seem like a simple question, defining the Internet isn’t easy. Because unlike any other technology, the Internet can be whatever we make it. We can shape it. We can mold it. But most importantly, we can use it to connect people, communities, and countries around the world.

Here are some of my favorite internet sites – sites connecting me to other readers and writers.

FOR READERS

www.writerspace.com – Monthly contests offer readers the chance to win autographed books, Advanced Reader Copies of upcoming releases, gift certificates and more.

www.freshfiction.com – Monthly contests for autographed books, gift certificates and other fun items.  This site also offers book reviews.

I've won several giveaways from these two sites, including books and chocolates! 

www.likesbooks.com – All About Romance offers reviews, author interviews, blogs, and more. 

www.onceuponaromance.net/romancelinks.htm  – A whole list of links for romance readers of all genres!

www.fantasticfiction.co.uk – A friend recently introduced me to this site.  This site allows you to search by author, book, or ISBN.  Many of my favorite authors write continuity series, and this site is especially helpful for following which books belong in which series, and in what order.

 

FOR WRITERS

www.writerbeware.com – Writer Beware is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, with support from the Mystery Writers of America and the Horror Writers Association.  Their website states: Writer Beware’s mission is to track, expose, and raise awareness of the prevalence of fraud and other questionable activities in and around the publishing industry.

www.wow-womenonwriting.com – An ezine promoting the communication between women writers, authors, editors, agents, publishers and readers.  They offer articles, writing contests, and classes.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com – Visit the website or subscribe to receive a daily email.  Every day they publish a new article, with topics ranging from grammar to punctuation, from spelling to usage and vocabulary.

http://writersinthestormblog.com – Great articles and writing tips for writers.

www.writersdigest.com – I subscribe to the magazine, but I also spend a fair amount of time on the website.  They have tons of articles, writing prompts, editor blogs, writing contests, and writing resources, in addition to their store.

But I think my favorite of all is Critique Circle on Facebook.  They share terrific articles, and fun cartoons and graphics. 

What are you favorite sites?  Maybe you've discovered something I've missed.  Please share!

Influential People

When I was in fifth grade, many years ago, my art teacher took me aside one day and told me she thought I had artistic talent. She wanted to talk to my parents about enrolling me in classes at the local art school. I don’t even remember her name, but that teacher influenced my life in ways she'll never know. She "saw" me and believed in me, and for that I saw myself in a kinder more positive light.

The list of people who have had an impact on my life is long. It includes people who helped me in positive ways and those who hurt me. Both helped me define myself and grow into the person I am today, a work in progress.

As a writer, I especially appreciate the influences that helped me become a better writer. An editor at a newspaper who gave me a chance when I had mainly passion, but not a lot of experience. Under his training, I learned valuable lessons about writing a good lede and the importance of writing concisely. My husband, who has never wavered from believing in my abilities, even when I didn't. Writers who have encouraged me to write through blocks and see possibilities in my latest WIP. And people who have helped me see blessings and opportunities in difficult people and circumstances. Even when I didn't know how important writing would be to me, influential people were helping me to discover who I was and how I wanted to express myself in the world. That's why my children are at the top of this list. They helped me open my heart and appreciate the marvel of love in a much bigger way.

But not all influential people have been walking, breathing individuals. Many good insights in my life have come from fictional characters. Thank you Kelly Armstrong, for instance, for writing women protagonists who had problems and "flaws" that needed self-understanding and room to blossom into useful qualities. And another thank you to Jim Butcher for writing really fun books about a wizard – 'nuff said – but also a character who saves the world over and over again and still suffers feelings of self-doubt and imperfection.

My list of influential people continues to grow, just as I do. And every day is an opportunity to be a positive influence in someone's life, whether we know it or not.

Who is one of your most influential people? What gift did they offer you?

 

Support Is A Two-Way Street

Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.

– Allen Saunders

Life has been more stressful than usual lately. I’ve got too many proverbial irons in the fire – some by choice and others not – but I’m doing my best to cope. My mind races with thoughts of who, what, when, where, why, and how the heck am I going to get it all done?

A popular modification of the serenity prayer comes to mind:  Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know where I should hide the bodies. 

Yes, I like that idea! Bury the bodies. That will take care of some of my problems. . . until I land in jail for murder. I would not make a good prisoner. Can you imagine how difficult I would be if I couldn’t have my daily dose of books and chocolate? PMS would pale in comparison.

We learned a long time ago that we don’t always get our way. But even as adults, it’s not easy to accept.

Being a member of the sandwich generation, I often find that my life is not my own. My youngest is a senior in high school, and definitely not the social butterfly his sister was four years ago. He is passionate about soccer, so we’re on the go to his varsity games several times a week. That will be over before any of us are ready, so I’m not really complaining. Mixed in for good measure, on both sides of the family we have aging and health-challenged parents who demand more of our time. It’s a rare day that we have to ourselves, and hubby and I usually have different ideas about how we want to spend that time, which results in more conflict. Throw in work upheavals, and I recently had the perfect recipe for feeling sorry for myself. 

Then a friend called under the pretense of inviting us to a backyard celebration for her son, who had just graduated from boot camp and would be leaving in three short days. I asked how she was doing and she hesitated a second too long. We talked for about fifteen minutes and she insisted she was fine so we said goodbye. But my friend needed me – I could feel it in my gut. I hopped in my van and drove to her house, only to find her sitting in the dark on her patio, wrapped in an old chenille robe, bawling her eyes out. She didn’t have to explain the pride and fear warring in her heart; I just knew. I wrapped her in my arms and cried with her. When she was spent, she simply said “I knew I could call you.” 

Those were powerful words, a boon to my feeling-sorry-for-myself soul. I was needed.

We all need a support system. Sometimes it’s just someone to vent to, someone who will listen and empathize without judging. Sometimes, we need someone to gently steer us in the direction we need to go. Other times, we need a swift kick to reboot our mindset. Surrounding ourselves with people who can fill these roles is important.

Writers, by necessity, have solitary spans of time. We talk to ourselves, answer ourselves, even argue with ourselves. But we still need the support of our family and friends to cover for us when we are deep into writing on a deadline. We need the support of other writers to help us work through stuck plotlines or stubborn characters who just refuse to cooperate. We rely on other writers to understand how we think, why we struggle, and to help us navigate the path to publication. And then we need the support of readers once we are published. 

But in the end, support – like life – is a two-way street. You have to give to receive. 

How have you been supportive of someone in your life?  How has someone helped you? Please share.

Everybody can write; writers can’t do anything else.

- http://writers-write-creative-blog.posthaven.com/literary-birthday-6-june-mignon-mclaughlin